Automated and body driven headset audio control

ABSTRACT

Various techniques for performing automated detection and control of audio-based conditions for headsets and like wearable audio devices are disclosed herein. In an example, an audio headset device includes at least one sensor to collect sensor data and processing circuitry to detect an applicable audio control condition, based on the sensor data, to cause control of the audio to be output from the headset device. Also in an example, a computing device includes an audio control processing component to receive and process sensor data collected from a headset audio device and identify a control action in a software application, to cause control of audio to be output to the headset. Further examples to enable simplified, dynamic audio controls for the operation of a headset device and a connected computing device are also disclosed.

PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/078,783, filed Mar. 23, 2016, which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments described herein generally relate to the control andoperation of electronic devices and, for some examples, the control andoperation of wearable audio devices including audio headsets, speakers,microphones, and like audio input/output devices.

BACKGROUND

Headphone units (also referred to as earspeakers, earphones, or earbuds)are widely used to provide audio output to a human user from anelectronic device. Some existing headphone units are provided as stereoheadsets that are designed to provide audio isolation, especially innoisy environments. However, most headsets are commonly designed for onepurpose, to provide a simple audio output. Some existing headsets alsoprovide limited controls in the form of buttons (e.g., volume controlbuttons to increase or decrease audio output volume) that are specificto the design of the headset.

As a result, user control of the audio to be output from a headphoneunit is often specific to the design of the headset or the electronicdevice that is generating the audio output. Muting, pausing, stopping,or altering the characteristics of the audio output often requiresphysical access to the originating electronic device to access playbackcontrols. Wide variation also exists in the playback user interfacesthat are used to control audio outputs, with varying degrees of speed,usability, and skill being required to control the audio outputs. Thisrequires extra effort for the user to remember the specific steps forthe task and often leads to additional response delay.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numeralsmay describe similar components in different views. Like numerals havingdifferent letter suffixes may represent different instances of similarcomponents. Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and notlimitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of sensor data processing andcommunication among a computing device and a headset device for audiooutput control, according to an example;

FIG. 2 illustrates a use case scenario of detected headset movement witha headset device and a computing device implementing automated audiooutput control, according to an example;

FIG. 3 illustrates a use case scenario of detected headset removal witha headset device and a computing device implementing automated audiooutput control, according to an example;

FIG. 4 illustrates a use case scenario of detected headset gestures witha headset device and a mobile computing device implementing automatedaudio output control, according to an example;

FIG. 5 illustrates a use case scenario of a detected wearable devicecondition for a headset device and a mobile computing deviceimplementing automated audio output control, according to an example;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method for detecting a headsetcontrol condition at a headset device and implementing automated audiooutput control at a computing device in response to the headset controlcondition, according to an example;

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a method for capturing sensor data ata sensing device and implementing automated audio output control at acomputing device in response to the sensor data, according to anexample;

FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram for an example system including aheadset device and computing device, configured to implement automatedaudio input/output control, according to an example; and

FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram for an example computer systemarchitecture upon which any one or more of the techniques (e.g.,operations, processes, methods, and methodologies) discussed herein maybe performed, according to an example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, methods, configurations, devicecomponents, and related apparatuses are disclosed that provide automateddetection and control of audio-based conditions for headsets and likeaudio input/output devices. Specifically, the following descriptionincludes various examples of intuitive, user- and body-driven actionsthat result in the control of audio inputs and outputs with a headsetand a connected computing device. As a result, the following techniquesenable the partial or complete automation of audio controls from commonhuman activities occurring with the headset, the computing device, andother devices and sensors worn by (or proximate to) the human user.

In an example, the presently described techniques and configurations areapplied to provide simplified, dynamic audio controls for the operationof a headset device or a computing device (or both devices), based onthe use of sensors incorporated into the headset device. These sensorsmay include gesture detection sensors such as a capacitive sensor thatis configured to detect gesture actions such as finger movements;environmental detection sensors such as a proximity sensor,accelerometer, gyroscope, temperature sensor, strain gauge, and thelike; or the use of environmental or gesture detection sensors to detectarm movements, head movements, and the like, being made by the humanuser. As a result, specific gestures such as a finger tap received on aheadphone may be associated with an intuitive audio action such as pauseplayback, and an action such as the removal of the headphones may beassociated with an intuitive audio action such as stop playback or mutemicrophone.

In an example, techniques are disclosed to enable simplified controlsfor the audio input and output of a headset device. In addition, thefollowing techniques make it possible to automate (partially orcompletely) these controls. Such automated control may be implemented bysensors installed in an audio output device that may determine the stateof the audio output device with respect to user actions (e.g., usergestures and movements) or with respect to the surrounding environment(e.g. the current position of the device). The data for such sensors maybe conveyed to an audio source (e.g., a computing device) by wired orwireless communication protocols such as USB or Bluetooth. This sensordata may then be used to identify and trigger standard or customoperations for audio control with minimum effort from the human user.

As further discussed herein, techniques are disclosed to provide forintegration, processing, and use of information from sensors for new andsimplified uses of audio devices. The types of uses may include:detection of a human user's listening or talking status, in response tothe position of a headset on the human user; the enabling or disablingof a microphone, in response to standardized gestures; the enabling ordisabling of an audio output, to pause or stop an audio feed or lowerthe volume, in response to moving the headset away from the human user'swearing position; and the adjustment of an audio control parameter suchas volume, playback, rewind, or fast-forward as a result of otherdetected sensor inputs (such as physiological input from anotherwearable device or a notification from a computing device). These andsimilar uses cases may lead to improved interaction and control of audioplayback and recording, and associated technical benefits for reducedsystem resources.

Compared to the existing state of the art, the techniques describedherein enable automated and contextual controls of an audio source, incontrast to the manual human control that would need to occur withexisting hardware. The human control that is needed with existingsystems also has usability implications. For instance, if a user iswearing an audio headset, any interaction to communicate with otherpeople is disruptive and requires an expensive intervention from theuser to halt the sound stream, and subsequently recover from the pointwhere the pausing happened (if even possible). Further, in many audiodevices, controls such as muting, stopping, or simply altering the audiostream requires physical access to the originating device. The userinterface of the originating device such as a phone or computer is oftendevice specific, with varying degrees of speed and usability toaccomplish certain tasks; stopping or pausing the audio output from thecomputing device requires extra cognitive effort to remind the specificsteps for the task and often leads to additional response delay. Thefollowing techniques for automated and body-driven user control serve toprovide an accurate and easy-to-control mechanism for software andelectronic operations occurring on the headset and the computing device.

FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of sensor data processing andcommunication among a computing device 110 and a headset device 120 foraudio output control, according to an example. As shown, processingoperations of the computing device 110 are depicted in relation to anoperating system 170 and software applications 180 and drivers 190executed with the operating system of the computing device 110.Likewise, control processing operations of the headset device 120 aredepicted in relation to a set of sensors 142, 144, 146, 148 and amicrocontroller unit (MCU) 150. It will be understood that additionalcomponents and circuitry not depicted in FIG. 1 may be used to implementthe following data processing and communication techniques.

The computing device 110 may be a desktop or notebook personal computer(PC), a tablet, a smartphone, a thin client device, or other form factorincluding an integrated or separate display screen. The computing device110 may be communicatively coupled to the headset device 120 through awired connection 112 (e.g., a headphone wire or USB cable) thatcommunicates an analog or digital signal, or through a wirelessconnection (not shown) that communicates a digital signal. Theapplicability of the present technique may apply to any number ofdigital, analog, wired, or wireless communication mechanisms between theheadset device 120 and the computing device 110.

The headset device 120 may include a first speaker 122 and a secondspeaker 124, such as to provide stereo (left channel and right channel)audio outputs of the audio signal received with the connection 112. Theheadset device 120 may include a microphone 126, such as to capturehuman voice as an audio input. The headset device 120 may also include acircuitry unit 130 housing all or a portion of the set of sensors (e.g.,the sensors 142, 144, 146, 148) and processing circuitry (e.g., the MCU150). However, the sensors or portions of the processing circuitry maybe located in other areas of the headset device 120. In other examples,the headset device 120 may include a single speaker.

The headset device 120 may include a set of integrated sensors (e.g.,integrated within the housing, assembly, or unit of the headset device120) including a proximity sensor 142, a strain gauge sensor 144, atemperature sensor 146, and a capacitive sensor 148. The sensor dataproduced from among the respective sensors may be communicated to theMCU 150. Other types of sensors not depicted in FIG. 1, such as anaccelerometer, gyroscope, or the like, may also be implemented withinthe headset device 120. Although FIG. 1 depicts the inclusion of foursensors, in other examples, a fewer or larger number of sensors may beprovided.

The MCU 150 may include microcontroller circuitry designed for use in astandalone wearable device (including battery-powered orUSB/wired-powered wearable devices) to perform limited (and specialized)data processing tasks. For example, the MCU 150 may include a patternmatching engine 152 configured to process sensor data and identifycertain operational conditions from sensor data patterns, andcommunication circuitry 154 to provide communication 156 with thecomputing device 110 via a Bluetooth or USB connection (or like wired orwireless communication protocols). Bluetooth and USB are two commonlyused examples of standard and extensible protocols that may be handledby basic and embedded oriented CPUs. Bluetooth and USB are both capableof conveying audio streams and accepting discrete inputs from standarddevices, thus allowing wired and wireless implementation of headsetaudio control processing with the present techniques.

Based on the number of sensors and the data processing involved, the MCU150 may perform the operations to process the sensor data directly atthe headset device 120, or the MCU 150 may relay the sensor data to thecomputing device 110 for processing. Further, the processing of thesensor data with a pattern matching engine 152 may be used to identifyuser habits and programmable action combinations (and identifiableevents and conditions). Thus, the MCU 150 may provide a hardware-basedidentification and response of sensor conditions and events thatcorrespond to certain audio control scenarios, and further softwareprocessing may occur in the computing device 110 as a result of thetransmission of these sensor conditions and events with thecommunication 156.

The MCU 150 may also be involved with communication of the audio channel160 from the computing device 110 (or other audio source) for headsetaudio output (such as output via the first speaker 122 and the secondspeaker 124). The MCU 150 may also be involved with the communication ofthe audio channel 160 that includes headset audio input (such asreceived via the microphone 126) to the computing device 110 (or otheraudio sink). Thus, the present automated audio control techniques may beapplied with use of a variety of audio input and output configurations.

The operating system 170, the software applications 180, and the drivers190 operate on the computing device 110 to generate and receive audiosignals via the audio channel 160, such as with playback and capture ofaudio with an audio/video call application 182 or a media playerapplication 184. The MCU 150 of the headset device 120 may communicateinformation of the sensor conditions or the software control actions viathe communication 156, received and processed by a driver 192 for theheadset device 120. For example, the sensor data may be correlated toone or more events provided for control of the software applications,such as a first event 194 a (e.g., a mute event) to control an audioinput or output aspect of the audio/video call application 182, or asecond event 194 b (e.g., stop event) to control an audio input oroutput aspect of the media player application 184.

In an example, standardized device drivers (e.g. emulating a keyboardcontaining multimedia keys or hotkeys) may be reused for processing ofthe headset audio data events. However, custom drivers may beimplemented to address more elaborated operations and data processing.Further, the present techniques may be used with Bluetooth and USBprotocols and other protocol-specific implementations (includingstandardized implementations) to support additional headset dataprocessing techniques.

In an example, a combination of the sensor data from among multiple ofthe sensors 142, 144, 146, 148 may be evaluated in combination todetermine whether the human user is wearing (or how the human user isusing) the headset device 120. Likewise, a combination of the sensordata or detected conditions may be used to determine whether toimplement a software control action (such as triggered with events 194a, 194 b) to stop or pause one of the software applications 180 that isproviding content to the audio output device. Variations to the audiocontrol parameter and playback control parameter may be provideddepending on the type of software application, the type of sensor, andlike differences of the device.

Although FIG. 1 depicts the inclusion of sensors and processing unitsdirectly within an audio device (such as within the housing of an audioheadset), in further examples, the sensors and processing unit may be anadd-on module for an existing headphone set. For example, an add-onmodule including gesture sensing circuitry may be added to an exteriorof a housing of a headphone set that does not include built-in audiocontrols. As also discussed in the following examples, sensors may varyin quantity, type, and positioning. Accordingly, sensors may workindependently or in combination, and could sense concurrently in variousenvironments (including the sensing of user or device movements or acombination of all of the above).

FIG. 2 illustrates a use case scenario of detected headset movement witha headset 222 and a computing device 240 implementing automated audiooutput control, according to an example. As shown, FIG. 2 firstillustrates an audio playback 210 to a human user with the headset 222,followed by a movement of the headset 222 in the form of the human userextending (e.g., flexing) one side of the headset 222 from a contracted(e.g., fully worn) position to a partially contracted (e.g., partiallyworn) position. As a result of the movement of the headset 222, aheadset movement detection 220 protocol is performed by logic circuitryof the headset 222 or the computing device 240 connected to the headset.

The headset 222 is configured to include multiple sensors (e.g., sensorsintegrated into the headset 222) including a strain gauge 224 and aproximity sensor 226, each of which collect sensor data during the useof the headset 222. For example, the strain gauge 224 that is located onthe arch of the headset 222 may provide a series of data measurementsthat indicate when the headset 222 is in a first position (e.g., aretracted or fully worn position) and stretched to in a second position(e.g., an extended or partially worn position). The proximity sensor 226may provide a series of data measurements that indicate whether one ormultiple areas of the headset 222 is located in proximity to a user'sbody (e.g., when a speaker of an earpod is positioned next to a user'shead). The data from the strain gauge 224 and the proximity sensor 226may be provided to a logic function operating on the headset 222, todetermine if the strain gauge and proximity sensor meet a sensor datacondition (e.g., a predefined condition), and headset movement isdetected if the sensor data condition is met. In further examples, theheadset movement detection 220 protocol may be coordinated with datacombined from multiple types of environmental sensors, includingproximity and temperature sensors in addition to or in place of sensordata from the strain gauge sensor.

In response to the detection of the headset movement, a temporarilyremoved event 230 may be generated by the headset 222 and communicatedfrom the headset 222 to the computing device 240. In response to thetemporarily removed event 230, the computing device 240 may perform apredefined or custom action 250 upon a software application, execute anoperating system function, provide hardware control or management, orlike actions. For example, the action 250 may include implementing apause command to an audio playback software application 260 (e.g., amusic or video player or other audiovisual software program) executingon the computing device 240. In further examples, the action 250 mayresult in other commands being relayed to other devices. The logic todetermine the appropriate action to perform may be executed byprocessing circuitry of the headset 222, the computing device 240, or acombination of these or other devices.

In an example, data and conditions from other sensors of the headset 222or the computing device 240 may be used as pre- or post-processingtechniques for the temporary removed event 230. A microphone or noiselevel sensor may be used for measuring the external level of noise, suchas to determine (and apply) corrections on the output level occurringduring temporary removal of the headset 222.

FIG. 3 illustrates a use case scenario of detected headset removal witha headset 322 and a computing device 340 implementing automated audiooutput control, according to an example. As shown, FIG. 3 illustrates anaudio playback 310 to a human user with a headset 322, followed by amovement of the headset 322 in the form of the human user moving theheadset 322 from a fully worn position to an entirely removed position(e.g., entirely removed from the human user's head). During the movementof the headset 322, a plurality of accelerometers 324 located in theheadset 322 detect an accelerative force that exceeds a certainthreshold. For example, accelerometer data may be used to trackmovements of the user's head or to determine if the headset 322 is lyingflat on a table. As a result of the detection of the accelerative force,a headset movement detection 320 protocol is performed by logiccircuitry of the headset 322 or the computing device 340 connected tothe headset.

The headset 322 is configured to include sensors including theaccelerometers 324 to collect motion data during the use of the headset322. For example, the accelerometers 324 may provide a series of datameasurements that indicate when the headset 322 is moved from a firstorientation (e.g., fully worn position) to a second orientation (e.g., afully, not-worn position). A proximity sensor, temperature sensor, orinfrared sensor may also be used to provide a series of datameasurements that indicate whether one or multiple areas of the headset322 is located in proximity to a user's body (e.g., a higher temperaturewhen next to a user's head). The data from the accelerometers 324 andthe temperature sensor may be provided to a logic function operating onthe headset 322, such as to detect headset removal if the accelerometerdata and the temperature sensor data meets a predefined condition.

In response to the detection of the headset movement, a headset removalevent 330 may be communicated from the headset to the computing device340. In response to the headset removal event 330, the computing device340 may perform a predefined or custom action 350 upon a softwareapplication, execute an operating system function, provide hardwarecontrol or management, or like actions. For example, the action 350 mayimplement a stop command to an audio playback software application 360(e.g., a music or video player or other audiovisual software program)executing on the computing device 340. In further examples, the action350 may result in other commands being relayed to other devices. Thelogic to determine the appropriate action to perform may be executed byprocessing circuitry of the headset 322, the computing device 340, or acombination of these or other devices. Further, the logic for detectionof the headset removal may be used in combination with the temporaryremoval logic depicted in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a use case scenario of detected headset gestures witha headset device 422 and a mobile computing device 440 implementingautomated audio output control, according to an example. As shown, FIG.4 illustrates an audio playback 410 to a human user with a headset 422,for a headset device that includes a gesture detection component. Thegesture detection component, such as a capacitive touch sensor, may beused to detect and initiate a headset gesture detection protocol 420,performed by the logic circuitry of the headset 422 or a computingdevice (e.g., mobile computing device 440) connected to the headset.

The gestures may be performed directly on a housing of the headset 422,such as on an earpad unit 424 of the headset 422 that includes a touchsensor. For example, a capacitive sensor for detecting the gesture maybe included within the housing of the earpad unit or other portions ofthe headset 422. In response to the detection of the headset gesturewith the headset 422, a gesture event 430 may be communicated from theheadset to the mobile computing device 440. In response to the gestureevent 430, the mobile computing device 440 may perform a predefined orcustom action (such as a mute volume action 450) upon a softwareapplication, execute an operating system function, provide hardwarecontrol or management, or like actions. For example, if the gestureevent 430 occurs from a single tap that corresponds to a “mute” gesture,then the mobile computing device 440 may implement the “mute volume”action 450 that causes a muting/unmuting command to be implemented withan audio playback software application 460 (e.g., a music or videoplayer or other audiovisual software program) executing on the mobilecomputing device 440.

In an example, other gestures may be defined with the headset gesturedetection protocol 420 to perform volume control, including muting andunmuting (such as with a single, quick tap gesture), pausing (such as atwo finger tap gesture), turning the volume up or down (such as with acircular touch gesture), fast forward/rewind or next song/previous song(such as with a swipe forward or swipe backward gesture, or circularforward or circular reverse gesture), and the like.

In addition to a capacitive touch sensor, infrared sensors and otherforms of gesture motion detectors may be used to recognize specificmovements and gestures. For example, a sensor may be implemented in theheadset 422 to control volume with a virtual “volume knob” withoutactually touching the earpad unit 424. In further examples, individualusers or software applications may define custom gesture inputs for adevice, or correlate a specific gesture (or gesture-sensor input) to aspecific software application or device processing response.

FIG. 5 illustrates a use case scenario of a detected wearable devicecondition for a headset 522 and a mobile computing device 540implementing automated audio output control, according to an example. Asshown, FIG. 5 illustrates an audio playback 510 to a human user with aheadset 522, for a headset that includes a gesture detection component.Additionally, the human user is wearing another wearable device 524(e.g., a smartwatch or band) that is used to collect physiological dataincluding a heart rate. The combination of the data collected among theheadset 522 and the wearable device 524 may be used to detect andinitiate a heart rate detection protocol 520, performed by the logiccircuitry of the headset 522 or the wearable device 524 or the mobilecomputing device 540 connected to the wearable device.

For example, if a heart rate is detected with the wearable device 524 toexceed a certain threshold (e.g., indicative of extensive exercise suchas running), data for a heart rate event 530 may be communicated to themobile computing device 540. As a result, the mobile computing device540 may implement a volume control action 550 that causes a volumecontrol command to be implemented with the operating system or the audioplayback software application 560 (e.g., a music or video player or likeaudiovisual software program) executing on the mobile computing device540. For example, the audio being output from the application 560 to theheadset 522 may increase (as shown with audio playback 570) tocompensate for the exercise activity.

Integration with other wearable devices may be provided in a variety offashions. For example, a wearable device that detects a pulse or othertypes of physiological data may be used to automatically change theaudio volume, a song selected, whether to resume or pause audio, and thelike. Further, the data from this type of a wearable device may becoordinated with data being captured with the headset and other statusinformation from the computing device.

The types of commands that are provided from a headset device to acomputing device (and the operating system of the computing device) mayenable automated control scenarios of varying complexities. For example,if the headset device sends an event or condition input to the computingdevice indicating “headphones removed, stop the audio application,” thenthe computing device may decide whether to stop the program, pause theprogram, or perform other automated operations. As another example, ifraw or composite sensor data is communicated from the headset device tothe computing device, the computing device may perform analysis(including evaluating the context of the audio output) to determine whatcommand to automatically perform. This determination may be performed bythe operating system or respective software applications executing inthe computing device.

In further examples, vendors may provide additional application layersoftware to process headset sensor data with customized rules andconditions (including predefined conditions). In still other examples,vendors may provide device driver functionality to process the eventswith customized rules for actions and logic that are specific to theheadset device communications. Additionally, the sensor data from theaudio device may be related to a third party service (such as aninternet connected service) to determine what action to automaticallyperform (or to present an available option to a user to implementfurther control).

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart 600 of a method for detecting a headsetcontrol condition at a headset device and implementing automated audiooutput control at a computing device in response to the headset controlcondition, according to an example. In an example, the method offlowchart 600 is executed by a system including a headset and acomputing device. However, it will be understood that the followingtechniques may be modified for additional processing actions at theheadset or the computing device.

As shown, the flowchart 600 includes operations for establishing adefinition of one or more conditions for headset control (operation 610)and establishing a definition of one or more headset control actions forthe respective conditions (operation 620), which in some examples areoptional. For example, the definitions may be pre-programmed orpre-defined into capabilities of a headset, operating system, orsoftware applications; in other examples, users may customize and definethe relevant conditions and control actions.

The flowchart 600 continues operation with the collection of sensor datafrom the headset sensors (operation 630), including the collection ofmovement and environmental sensor data from sensors such as anaccelerometer, strain gauge sensor, and the like as discussed above. Thesensor data is then evaluated to detect a condition for headset control(operation 640). For example, pattern matching may be performed todetermine whether a pattern of movement or a threshold strain gaugevalue indicates that the headset is being removed, moved, or worn by ahuman user.

This detected sensor condition is then communicated to the computingdevice or other audio source that provides the audio stream (operation650). For example, the sensor condition may be correlated to a headsetremoval or movement event. Based on the communicated sensor condition, aparticular software control action is identified or determined forexecution at the computing device (operation 660) and the softwareapplication (e.g., an audiovisual software application) is controlledwith execution of the particular software control action (operation670). This control may occur in an automated fashion, to implement theoperation without real-time user control or influence. Subsequently, anoptional indication of the control status may be communicated back tothe headset (operation 680), such as in the form of an acknowledgementthat the audio control command has been received or implemented.

Other automated and dynamic actions to the computing device may beimplemented as a result of the detected scenario. For example, acomputing device might be entered into a “locked” mode in response todetecting that the headset device is removed; user-contextual actions ina software application, the operating system, or the computing devicemay be detected or customized based on contextual gestures or sensorinformation from the headset device. Likewise, the audio headset devicemay be used to provide an accurate state of information in comparisonother wearable devices, such as to detect or verify whether the user'sstate is walking, sitting, exercising, and the like.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart 700 of a method for capturing sensor dataat a sensing device and implementing automated audio output control at acomputing device in response to the sensor data, according to anexample. In an example, the electronic operations of flowchart 700 areexecuted by a computing device such as a mobile computing device (e.g.,smartphone or tablet) that is receiving data from the audio headsetdevice, and from additional wearable devices in further examples.However, it will be understood that some of the electronic operationsmay be distributed to the audio headset device, one or multiple wearabledevices, remote services (e.g., cloud services), and the like.

As shown, the flowchart 700 includes operations for establishing adefinition of one or more conditions for automated headset control(operation 710) and a definition of one or more software control actions(operation 720) that may occur in the mobile computing device inresponse to the conditions, which in some examples are optional. Asdiscussed in FIG. 6, this may be provided from pre-programmed orpre-defined capabilities of a headset, operating system, or softwareapplications, or users may customize and define such conditions andcontrol actions.

The flowchart 700 continues operation with the collection of sensor datafrom a plurality of sensors (operation 730), such as a combination ofdata from a headset device, other wearable devices, or sensors of acomputing device. The sensor data from the plurality of sensors is thenevaluated (e.g., with the computing device) to detect a condition forheadset control or other audiovisual output control (operation 740). Avariety of sensor data processing mechanisms may be used to detect thecondition, including pattern matching, threshold and state evaluations,classifications, rule processing, and the like.

This detected sensor condition is then further processed by thecomputing device to identify one or more software control actions toperform on the computing device (operation 750), such as softwarecontrol actions in an operating system or an audiovisual softwareprogram executing on the computing device that control the audio output(or input) from the operating system or the audiovisual softwareprogram. The software control actions then may be automaticallyperformed on the computing device, or performed in response to anothercondition (such as additional user input), thus causing control of thesoftware application (operation 760). Additional operations may followto communicate the status of the control of the software application orto cause other control of the headset or another wearable device basedon the detected condition (operation 770).

In a further example, audio output of the headset device may becustomized to reverse the orientation of the audio playback, based onsensor data which indicates that the headphones are being worn in abackward or reverse orientation. For example, if a movement sensorindicates that the user is walking while wearing the opposite audiooutput orientation (e.g., the right speaker over the user's left ear andthe left speaker over the user's right ear), then the headset device orthe connected computing device may reverse the channels of the audiooutput. As another example, the left/right orientation of the audioplayback might be determined from the relative position of anotherwearable device or computing device operated by the human user (e.g. asmart watch, the audio source itself); further, the user may be asked toperform an action on a certain speaker (the right (or the left)speaker), in order to determine which one is the right (or left) ear fororientation purposes. With these or other orientation detectiontechniques, the headset device may operate as an audio device thatautomatically detects and switches channel orientation based on useractivity.

Although many of the preceding examples were described with reference toaudio playback functions (such as pausing or stopping playback, orincreasing/decreasing volume), it will be understood that othervariations may affect audio recording and capture functions (such asmuting or stopping recording), video playback and capture functions(such as for a videoconference or media player application), and likecontextual interactivity functions with a user.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example system 800 including acomputing device 830 and a headset 840, implementing circuitry andstructural electronic components that may be configured forimplementation of the techniques described herein. In accordance withthe previous described configurations, the system 800 may includedevices that are operably coupled (e.g., communicatively coupled) withone another, and it will be understood that additional components (otherwearable devices, sensors, and processing components) may be integratedat a variety of locations in the system. Further, the capabilities ofsystem 800 may be integrated into a smart headset that includes featuresof the computing device 830 and the headset 840 within a singleapparatus (e.g., a “smart” headphone that is able to play music andprocess sensor data and gestures within the same unit).

The computing device 830 is depicted as including an audio controlprocessing component 810, in addition to a wireless transceiver 832, aprocessor 834 (e.g., a CPU), and a memory 836 (e.g., volatile ornon-volatile memory). In an example, the audio control processingcomponent 810 may be provided from specialized hardware operatingindependent from the processor 834 and the memory 836; in otherexamples, the audio control processing component 810 may besoftware-configured hardware that is implemented with use of theprocessor 834 and the memory 836 (e.g., by instructions executed by theprocessor 834 and the memory 836).

The headset 840 is depicted as including: a speaker 860, a microphone862, processing logic circuitry 852, a wireless transceiver 854, patternmatching circuitry 856, and sensor circuitry 858. For example, theprocessing logic circuitry 852 may be used to implement audio controladjustments with the headset output (e.g., volume control, muting,reversing output orientation); the wireless transceiver 854 may be usedto transmit audio and control information with the computing devicewireless transceiver 832; the pattern matching circuitry 856 may be usedto detect conditions from respective sensors of the headset 840; and thesensor circuitry 858 may be used to control and capture data from therespective sensors of the headset 840.

The audio control processing component 810 may include respectiveprocessing components, such as implemented through specially configuredhardware (including with specialized circuitry or with software executedwith use of the processor 834 and memory 836), to perform sensor dataprocessing 812 (e.g., to evaluate data from various headset, wearable,and computing device sensors), software control processing 814 (e.g., tocontrol audiovisual software applications that provide audio inputs andoutputs on the computing device and headset), gesture data processing816 (e.g., to detect, process, and implement controls from gesturesreceived with the headset 840 or other wearable devices), eventprocessing 818 (e.g., to process and respond to events transmitted fromthe headset 840 or other wearable devices), and audio processing 820(e.g., to effect automated audio control effects based on the processingtechniques discussed throughout this disclosure).

Although many of the previous examples were provided with reference towireless communication techniques such as a Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11, orother RF connection between the wireless transceivers 832, 854, it willbe understood that other radio frequency communications and protocolsmay be provided to communicate the audio and data among these and otherdevices. Additionally, the audio and computing devices discussed hereinmay be paired with other speakers, microphones, audio receiver systems,and the like, in a variety of configurations.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a machine in the example form ofa computing system (e.g., computing device) 900, within which a set orsequence of instructions may be executed to cause the machine to performany one of the methodologies discussed herein, according to an exampleembodiment. The machine may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, ahybrid tablet/notebook PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobiletelephone or smartphone, a wearable computer, or any machine capable ofexecuting instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions tobe taken by that machine. Further, while only a single machine isillustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include anycollection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (ormultiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein. Similarly, the term “processor-basedsystem” shall be taken to include any set of one or more machines thatare controlled by or operated by a processor (e.g., a computer) toindividually or jointly execute instructions to perform any one or moreof the methodologies discussed herein.

Example computer system 900 includes at least one processor 902 (e.g., acentral processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU) or both,processor cores, compute nodes, etc.), a main memory 904 and a staticmemory 906, which communicate with each other via an interconnect 908(e.g., a link, a bus, etc.). The computer system 900 may further includea video display unit 910, an alphanumeric input device 912 (e.g., akeyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 914 (e.g., amouse). In one embodiment, the video display unit 910, input device 912and UI navigation device 914 are incorporated into a touch screendisplay. The computer system 900 may additionally include a storagedevice 916 (e.g., a drive unit), a signal generation device 918 (e.g., aspeaker), an output controller 932, a network interface device 920(which may include or operably communicate with one or more antennas928, transceivers, or other wireless communications hardware), and oneor more sensors 930, such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor,compass, accelerometer, location sensor, or other sensor.

The storage device 916 includes a machine-readable medium 922 on whichis stored one or more sets of data structures and instructions 924(e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of themethodologies or functions described herein. The instructions 924 mayalso reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory904, static memory 906, and/or within the processor 902 during executionthereof by the computer system 900, with the main memory 904, staticmemory 906, and the processor 902 also constituting machine-readablemedia.

While the machine-readable medium 922 is illustrated in an exampleembodiment to be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” mayinclude a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized ordistributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that storethe one or more instructions 924. The term “machine-readable medium”shall also be taken to include any tangible medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the present disclosure or that is capable of storing,encoding or carrying data structures utilized by or associated with suchinstructions. The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly betaken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, andoptical and magnetic media. Specific examples of machine-readable mediainclude non-volatile memory, including but not limited to, by way ofexample, semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically programmableread-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such asinternal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; andCD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

The instructions 924 may further be transmitted or received over acommunications network 926 via an antenna 928 using a transmissionmedium via the network interface device 920 utilizing any one of anumber of well-known transfer protocols (e.g., HTTP). Examples ofcommunication networks include a local area network (LAN), a wide areanetwork (WAN), the Internet, mobile telephone networks, plain oldtelephone (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., Wi-Fi,2G/3G, and 4G LTE/LTE-A or WiMAX networks). The term “transmissionmedium” shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capableof storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by themachine, and includes digital or analog communications signals or otherintangible medium to facilitate communication of such software.

Embodiments used to facilitate and perform the techniques describedherein may be implemented in one or a combination of hardware, firmware,and software. Embodiments may also be implemented as instructions storedon a machine-readable storage device, which may be read and executed byat least one processor to perform the operations described herein. Amachine-readable storage device may include any non-transitory mechanismfor storing information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., acomputer). For example, a machine-readable storage device may includeread-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic diskstorage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices, and otherstorage devices and media.

It should be understood that the functional units or capabilitiesdescribed in this specification may have been referred to or labeled ascomponents or modules, in order to more particularly emphasize theirimplementation independence. Such components may be embodied by anynumber of software or hardware forms. For example, a component or modulemay be implemented as a hardware circuit comprising customvery-large-scale integration (VLSI) circuits or gate arrays,off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or otherdiscrete components. A component or module may also be implemented inprogrammable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays,programmable array logic, programmable logic devices, or the like.Components or modules may also be implemented in software for executionby various types of processors. An identified component or module ofexecutable code may, for instance, comprise one or more physical orlogical blocks of computer instructions, which may, for instance, beorganized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, theexecutables of an identified component or module need not be physicallylocated together, but may comprise disparate instructions stored indifferent locations which, when joined logically together, comprise thecomponent or module and achieve the stated purpose for the component ormodule.

Indeed, a component or module of executable code may be a singleinstruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed overseveral different code segments, among different programs, and acrossseveral memory devices. Similarly, operational data may be identifiedand illustrated herein within components or modules, and may be embodiedin any suitable form and organized within any suitable type of datastructure. The operational data may be collected as a single data set,or may be distributed over different locations including over differentstorage devices, and may exist, at least partially, merely as electronicsignals on a system or network. The components or modules may be passiveor active, including agents operable to perform desired functions.

Additional examples of the presently described method, system, anddevice embodiments include the following, non-limiting configurations.Each of the following non-limiting examples may stand on its own, or maybe combined in any permutation or combination with any one or more ofthe other examples provided below or throughout the present disclosure.

Example 1 is a wearable apparatus, comprising: at least one sensor; atleast one speaker to output audio received from a remote device; andprocessing circuitry to perform operations that: collect sensor datafrom the at least one sensor; determine, from the sensor data, that thesensor data is produced from a positioning of the wearable apparatus ona human user; detect a condition, based on the sensor data that isproduced from the positioning of the wearable apparatus, to change theaudio to be output with the at least one speaker; and transmit data tothe remote device, based on the condition, to control playback of theaudio to be output from the at least one speaker.

In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 optionally includeswherein the operations to collect sensor data from the at least onesensor cause the wearable apparatus to collect sensor data from at leasttwo environmental sensors, and wherein the operations to detect thecondition to change the audio cause the wearable apparatus to detect thecondition from a comparison of data obtained from the at least twoenvironmental sensors to a predefined condition.

In Example 3, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 1-2optionally include wherein the wearable apparatus is an audio headset,wherein the operations to detect the condition to change the audio to beoutput include detection of a partial removal of the audio headset fromthe human user or detection of a complete removal of the audio headsetfrom the human user, and wherein the operations to transmit data to theremote device include operations that: transmit a first command to pausethe output of the audio at an electronic device that provides the audioto the wearable apparatus, in response to the partial removal of theaudio headset from the human user, and transmit a second command to stopthe output of the audio at the electronic device that provides the audioto the wearable apparatus, in response to the complete removal of theaudio headset from the human user.

In Example 4, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 1-3optionally include wherein the remote device is a computing device andwherein the audio received from the remote device is generated by thecomputing device, and wherein the computing device implements operationsto control the playback of the audio from an audiovisual softwareprogram executing on the computing device in response to the condition.

In Example 5, the subject matter of Example 4 optionally includes awireless transceiver; wherein the operations to transmit the data to theremote device are performed via a communication sent to the computingdevice with the wireless transceiver.

In Example 6, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 1-5optionally include wherein the at least one sensor is an environmentalsensor, the at least one sensor including at least one of: anaccelerometer, a gyroscope, a strain gauge, a proximity sensor, or atemperature sensor.

In Example 7, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 1-6optionally include wherein the at least one sensor is a capacitivesensor, wherein the operations to detect the condition to change theaudio to be output include operations to detect a gesture made by thehuman user in proximity to the capacitive sensor, and wherein thegesture corresponds to a predefined operation to change the audio to beoutput.

In Example 8, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 1-7optionally include wherein the processing circuitry is provided by amicrocontroller unit, wherein the operations to detect the condition tochange the audio to be output are performed at least in part by patternmatching performed on the sensor data with the microcontroller unit, andwherein the microcontroller unit is adapted to communicate an event to adevice driver of a computing device connected to the wearable apparatus,to control the playback of the audio that is provided from the computingdevice to the wearable apparatus using the device driver.

In Example 9, the subject matter of Example 8 optionally includeswherein the audio to be output originates from a media player softwareapplication executing on the computing device, wherein the wearableapparatus is a headset adapted for connection to the computing device,and wherein the operations to transmit data to the remote device includeoperations to communicate the event to the computing device to causecontrol of the media player software application.

In Example 10, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 1-9optionally include wherein the wearable apparatus is a headset adaptedto be worn by the human user, wherein the at least one speaker includesa left speaker to output a left audio channel and a right speaker tooutput a right audio channel, and wherein, in response to the sensordata indicating an orientation of the headset worn by the human userthat provides the left speaker over the human user's right ear and theright speaker over the human user's left ear, the operations to controlthe playback of the audio to be output include reversal of the leftaudio channel and the right audio channel to cause output of the leftaudio channel with the right speaker and output of the right audiochannel with the left speaker.

Example 11 is a computing device, comprising: processing circuitry; andan audio control processing component, operable with the processingcircuitry, to: receive sensor data collected from an integrated sensorof a headset audio device; detect a condition of the headset audiodevice using the sensor data; identify a control action in a softwareapplication based on the detected condition, wherein the softwareapplication generates an output of audio to the headset audio device;and control the output of audio with the software application based onthe identified control action.

In Example 12, the subject matter of Example 11 optionally includes awireless transceiver to wirelessly communicate with the headset audiodevice via a wireless connection, wherein the output of audio to theheadset audio device is provided over the wireless connection, andwherein the wireless connection is established according to a RF,Bluetooth, or IEEE 802.11 communication standard.

In Example 13, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 11-12optionally include a communication bus to communicate with the headsetaudio device via a wired connection, wherein the wired connection isestablished according to a USB standard, wherein the output of audio tothe headset audio device is provided over the wired connection, andwherein the sensor data is communicated from the headset audio device tothe computing device via the wired connection.

In Example 14, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 11-13optionally include the audio control processing component further to:perform event processing of an event received from the headset audiodevice.

In Example 15, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 11-14optionally include the audio control processing component further to:perform gesture data processing on gesture data indicated in the sensordata; and perform the control action based on the gesture dataprocessing.

In Example 16, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 11-15optionally include the audio control processing component further to:receive additional sensor data collected from a wearable device; whereinoperations to detect the condition for control of the headset audiodevice are further based on the additional sensor data.

In Example 17, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 11-16optionally include wherein the headset audio device includes a speakerto output audio from the computing device and a microphone to recordaudio to be communicated to the computing device, and wherein thecontrol action in the software application includes a first controlaction to control the audio to be output from the speaker and a secondcontrol action to control audio to be recorded from the microphone.

Example 18 is a system, comprising: a headset, comprising: at least onesensor; at least one speaker to output audio; communication circuitry;processing circuitry to: collect sensor data from the at least onesensor; and communicate the sensor data via the communication circuitry;and a computing device, comprising: processing circuitry to: receive thesensor data from the headset; detect a condition for headset controlbased on the sensor data; and identify a software control action for asoftware application of the computing device based on the detectedcondition; wherein the computing device controls the softwareapplication based on the identified software control action, to cause amodification of audio provided from an audiovisual software programexecuting on the computing device to the headset that is to be outputwith the at least one speaker.

In Example 19, the subject matter of Example 18 optionally includeswherein the headset further comprises at least one microphone, andwherein the processing circuitry of the headset is further to controlinput of the audio with the at least one microphone based on theidentified software control action.

In Example 20, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 18-19optionally include a wearable device; wherein the computing devicereceives the sensor data from the wearable device.

Example 21 is a wearable headset apparatus configured to be coupled to acomputing device, the wearable headset apparatus comprising: a flexibleheadphone band; a microphone coupled to the flexible headphone band, themicrophone to capture audio to be transmitted to the computing device; afirst headphone speaker coupled to a first end of the flexible headphoneband and a second headphone speaker coupled to a second end of theflexible headphone band, the first headphone speaker and the secondheadphone speaker to output audio received from the computing device; astrain gauge embedded within the flexible headphone band, the straingauge to provide data indicating a position of the flexible headphoneband; and circuitry to: transmit audio from the microphone to thecomputing device; receive audio from the computing device and output theaudio with the first headphone speaker and the second headphone speaker;detect a condition, based on the data of the strain gauge, to change aplayback or a recording of the audio at the computing device; andtransmit data to the computing device, based on the condition, to changethe playback or the recording of the audio at the computing device.

In Example 22, the subject matter of Example 21 optionally includes atemperature sensor embedded within the wearable headset apparatus, thetemperature sensor to provide data that indicates whether the wearableheadset apparatus is worn by a human user; wherein the circuitry isfurther to detect the condition based on the data of the temperaturesensor that indicates whether the wearable headset apparatus is worn bya human user.

In Example 23, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 21-22optionally include wherein the position of the flexible headphone bandcorresponds to a position when the flexible headphone band is moved froma worn orientation to an unworn orientation on a human user, and whereinthe condition is to change the playback of the audio at the computingdevice by causing the computing device to mute the audio to be outputwith the first headphone speaker and the second headphone speaker.

In Example 24, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 21-23optionally include wherein the position of the flexible headphone bandcorresponds to a position when the flexible headphone band is moved froma fully worn orientation to a partially worn orientation on a humanuser, and wherein the condition is to change the playback of the audioat the computing device by causing the computing device to reduce avolume of the audio to be output with the first headphone speaker andthe second headphone speaker.

In Example 25, the subject matter of Example 24 optionally includeswherein the position of the flexible headphone band corresponds to aposition when the flexible headphone band is moved from a partially wornorientation to a fully worn orientation on a human user, and wherein thecondition is to change the playback of the audio at the computing deviceby causing the computing device to increase a volume of the audio to beoutput with the first headphone speaker and the second headphonespeaker.

In Example 26, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 21-25optionally include wherein the position of the flexible headphone bandcorresponds to a position when the flexible headphone band is moved froma worn orientation to an unworn orientation on a human user, and whereinthe condition is to change the recording of the audio at the computingdevice by causing the computing device to mute the audio to be receivedfrom the microphone.

Example 27 is at least one device readable storage medium, comprising aplurality of instructions that, responsive to being executed withcircuitry of a headset device, cause the headset device to performoperations that: collect sensor data from at least one sensor; detect acondition, based on the sensor data, to change audio to be output fromat least one speaker of the headset device; and transmit data to aremote device that provides the audio to the headset device, based onthe condition, to control a playback of the audio to be output from theat least one speaker.

In Example 28, the subject matter of Example 27 optionally includeswherein the operations to collect sensor data from the at least onesensor cause the headset device to collect sensor data from at least twoenvironmental sensors, and wherein the operations to detect thecondition to change the audio cause the headset device to detect thecondition from a comparison of data from the at least two environmentalsensors to a predefined condition.

In Example 29, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 27-28optionally include wherein the operations to detect the condition tochange the audio to be output include detection of a partial removal ofthe headset device from a human user or detection of a complete removalof the headset device from the human user, and wherein the operations totransmit data to the remote device include operations that: transmit afirst command to pause the output of the audio at an electronic deviceproviding the audio, in response to the partial removal of the headsetdevice from the human user, and transmit a second command to stop theoutput of the audio at the electronic device providing the audio, inresponse to the complete removal of the headset device from the humanuser.

In Example 30, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 27-29optionally include wherein the remote device is a computing device andwherein the audio received from the remote device is generated by thecomputing device, and wherein the computing device implements operationsto control the playback of the audio from an audiovisual softwareprogram executing on the computing device in response to the condition.

In Example 31, the subject matter of Example 30 optionally includeswherein the operations to transmit the data to the remote device areperformed via a wireless or wired connection with the computing device.

In Example 32, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 27-31optionally include wherein the sensor data obtained from the at leastone sensor is provided by an environmental sensor, the environmentalsensor including at least one of: an accelerometer, a gyroscope, astrain gauge, a proximity sensor, or a temperature sensor.

In Example 33, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 27-32optionally include wherein the sensor data obtained from the at leastone sensor is provided by a capacitive sensor, wherein the operations todetect the condition to control the audio to be output includeoperations to detect a gesture made by a human user in proximity to thecapacitive sensor, and wherein the gesture corresponds to a predefinedoperation to control the audio to be output.

In Example 34, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 27-33optionally include wherein the headset device includes a microcontrollerunit to perform pattern matching and communication with a computingdevice that is communicatively coupled to the headset device, whereinthe operations to detect the condition to control the audio to be outputare performed at least in part by pattern matching performed on thesensor data with the microcontroller unit, and wherein themicrocontroller unit is adapted to communicate an event to a devicedriver of the computing device communicatively coupled to the headsetdevice, to cause control of the audio that is provided from thecomputing device to the headset device using the device driver.

In Example 35, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 27-34optionally include wherein the audio to be output originates from amedia player software application executing on a computing deviceconnected to the headset device, and wherein the operations to controlthe audio to be output from the at least one speaker based on thecondition cause the headset device to communicate an event to thecomputing device to cause control of the media player softwareapplication.

Example 36 is at least one machine readable storage medium, comprising aplurality of instructions that, responsive to being executed withcircuitry of a computing device, cause the computing device to performoperations that: receive sensor data collected from an integrated sensorof an audio output device; detect a condition for control of the audiooutput device from the sensor data; identify a control action in asoftware application based on the detected condition, wherein thesoftware application generates an output of audio to the audio outputdevice; and control the output of audio with the software applicationbased on the identified control action.

In Example 37, the subject matter of Example 36 optionally includeswherein the plurality of instructions further to cause the computingdevice to perform operations that: wirelessly communicate with the audiooutput device via a wireless connection, wherein the output of audio tothe audio output device is provided over the wireless connection, andwherein the wireless connection is established according to a RF,Bluetooth, or IEEE 802.11 communication standard.

In Example 38, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 36-37optionally include wherein the plurality of instructions further tocause the computing device to perform operations that: communicate withthe audio output device via a wired connection, wherein the wiredconnection is established according to a USB standard.

In Example 39, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 36-38optionally include wherein the plurality of instructions further tocause the computing device to perform operations that: perform eventprocessing of an event received from the audio output device.

In Example 40, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 36-39optionally include wherein the plurality of instructions further tocause the computing device to perform operations that: perform gesturedata processing on gesture data indicated in the sensor data, thegesture data obtained from a capacitive sensor of the audio outputdevice; and perform the control action based on the gesture dataprocessing.

In Example 41, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 36-40optionally include wherein the plurality of instructions further tocause the computing device to perform operations that: receiveadditional sensor data collected from a wearable device; wherein theoperations to detect the condition for control of the audio outputdevice are further based on the additional sensor data.

In Example 42, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 36-41optionally include wherein the audio output device includes a speaker tooutput audio from the computing device and a microphone to record audioto be communicated to the computing device, and wherein the controlaction in the software application includes a first control action tocontrol the audio to be output from the speaker and a second controlaction to control the audio to be recorded from the microphone.

In Example 43, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 36-42optionally include wherein the sensor data is environmental dataprovided from at least one environmental sensor of the audio outputdevice, the at least one environmental sensor including at least one of:an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a strain gauge, a proximity sensor, or atemperature sensor.

In Example 44, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 36-43optionally include wherein the sensor data is capacitive sensor dataprovided from at least one capacitive sensor of the audio output device,wherein the operations to detect the condition for control of the audiooutput device include operations to detect a gesture made by a humanuser in proximity to the capacitive sensor, and wherein the gesturecorresponds to an audio control operation used to control the output ofaudio with the software application.

Example 45 is a method comprising electronic operations, which whenperformed by circuitry of a headset device, causes the headset device toperform the electronic operations including: collecting sensor data fromat least one sensor; detecting a condition, based on the sensor data, tochange audio to be output from at least one speaker of the headsetdevice; and transmitting data to a remote device that provides the audioto the headset device, based on the condition, to control a playback ofthe audio to be output from the at least one speaker.

In Example 46, the subject matter of Example 45 optionally includeswherein collecting sensor data from the at least one sensor causes theheadset device to collect sensor data from at least two environmentalsensors, and wherein detecting the condition to change the audio causesthe headset device to detect the condition from a comparison of datafrom the at least two environmental sensors to a predefined condition.

In Example 47, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 45-46optionally include wherein detecting the condition to change the audioto be output includes detection of a partial removal of the headsetdevice from a human user or detection of a complete removal of theheadset device from the human user, and wherein transmitting data to theremote device includes: transmitting a first command to pause the outputof the audio at an electronic device providing the audio, in response tothe partial removal of the headset device from the human user, andtransmitting a second command to stop the output of the audio at theelectronic device providing the audio, in response to the completeremoval of the headset device from the human user.

In Example 48, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 45-47optionally include wherein the remote device is a computing device andwherein the audio received from the remote device is generated by thecomputing device, and wherein the computing device implements operationsto control the playback of the audio from an audiovisual softwareprogram executing on the computing device in response to the condition.

In Example 49, the subject matter of Example 48 optionally includeswherein transmitting the data to the remote device is performed via awireless or wired connection with the computing device.

In Example 50, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 45-49optionally include wherein the sensor data obtained from the at leastone sensor is provided by an environmental sensor, the environmentalsensor including at least one of: an accelerometer, a gyroscope, astrain gauge, a proximity sensor, or a temperature sensor.

In Example 51, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 45-50optionally include wherein the sensor data obtained from the at leastone sensor is provided by a capacitive sensor, wherein detecting thecondition to control the audio to be output includes detecting a gesturemade by a human user in proximity to the capacitive sensor, and whereinthe gesture corresponds to a predefined operation to control the audioto be output.

In Example 52, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 45-51optionally include wherein the headset device includes a microcontrollerunit to perform pattern matching and communication with a computingdevice that is communicatively coupled to the headset device, whereindetecting the condition to control the audio to be output is performedat least in part by pattern matching performed on the sensor data withthe microcontroller unit, and wherein the microcontroller unit isadapted to communicate an event to a device driver of the computingdevice communicatively coupled to the headset device, to cause controlof the audio that is provided from the computing device to the headsetdevice using the device driver.

In Example 53, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 45-52optionally include wherein the audio to be output originates from amedia player software application executing on a computing deviceconnected to the headset device, and wherein controlling the audio to beoutput from the at least one speaker based on the condition includescommunicating an event to the computing device to cause control of themedia player software application.

Example 54 is a method comprising electronic operations, which whenperformed by circuitry of a computing device, causes the computingdevice to perform the electronic operations including: receiving sensordata collected from an integrated sensor of a headset audio device;detecting a condition for control of the headset audio device from thesensor data; identifying a control action in a software applicationbased on the detected condition, wherein the software applicationgenerates an output of audio to the headset audio device; andcontrolling the output of audio with the software application based onthe identified control action.

In Example 55, the subject matter of Example 54 optionally includeswirelessly communicating with the headset audio device via a wirelessconnection, wherein the output of audio to the headset audio device isprovided over the wireless connection, and wherein the wirelessconnection is established according to a RF, Bluetooth, or IEEE 802.11communication standard.

In Example 56, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 54-55optionally include communicating with the headset audio device via awired connection, wherein the wired connection is established accordingto a USB standard.

In Example 57, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 54-56optionally include performing event processing of an event received fromthe headset audio device.

In Example 58, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 54-57optionally include performing gesture data processing on gesture dataindicated in the sensor data, the gesture data obtained from acapacitive sensor of the headset audio device; and performing thecontrol action based on the gesture data processing.

In Example 59, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 54-58optionally include processing additional sensor data collected from awearable device; wherein detecting the condition for control of theheadset audio device is further performed based on the additional sensordata.

In Example 60, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 54-59optionally include wherein the headset audio device includes a speakerto output audio from the computing device and a microphone to recordaudio to be communicated to the computing device, and wherein thecontrol action for the software application includes a first controlaction to control the audio to be output from the speaker and a secondcontrol action to control the audio to be recorded from the microphone.

In Example 61, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 54-60optionally include wherein the sensor data is environmental dataprovided from at least one environmental sensor of the headset audiodevice, the at least one environmental sensor including at least one of:an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a strain gauge, a proximity sensor, or atemperature sensor.

In Example 62, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 54-61optionally include wherein the sensor data is capacitive sensor dataprovided from at least one capacitive sensor of the headset audiodevice, and wherein detecting the condition for control of the headsetaudio device includes detecting a gesture made by a human user inproximity to the capacitive sensor, and wherein the gesture correlatesto an audio control operation used to control the output of audio withthe software application.

Example 63 is a machine readable medium including instructions, whichwhen executed by a computing system, cause the computing system toperform any of the methods of Examples 45-62.

Example 64 is an apparatus comprising means for performing any of themethods of Examples 45-62.

Example 65 is an apparatus, comprising: means for collecting sensor datafrom at least one sensor; means for detecting a condition, based on thesensor data, to control audio to be output from at least one speaker;and means for transmitting data to a remote device that provides theaudio to the apparatus, based on the condition, to control playback ofthe audio to be output from the at least one speaker.

In Example 66, the subject matter of Example 65 optionally includesmeans for collecting sensor data from at least two environmentalsensors; and means for detecting the condition from a comparison of datafrom the at least two environmental sensors to a predefined condition,to control the audio.

In Example 67, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 65-66optionally include means for detecting a partial removal of theapparatus from a human user or a complete removal of the apparatus fromwearing by the human user; means for transmitting a first command topause the output of the audio at an electronic device providing theaudio, in response to the partial removal of the apparatus from wearingby the human user; and means for transmitting a second command to stopthe output of the audio at the electronic device providing the audio, inresponse to the complete removal of the apparatus from wearing by thehuman user.

In Example 68, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 65-67optionally include means for implementing operations to control theoutput of the audio from an audiovisual software program executing on acomputing device in response to the condition, wherein the audio to beoutput originates from the computing device, and wherein controlling theaudio to be output includes communicating the condition to the computingdevice.

In Example 69, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 65-68optionally include means for generating the sensor data obtained fromthe at least one sensor.

In Example 70, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 65-69optionally include means for detecting a gesture made by a human user inproximity to a capacitive sensor, wherein the sensor data obtained fromthe at least one sensor is provided by the capacitive sensor, andwherein the gesture corresponds to a predefined operation to control theaudio to be output.

In Example 71, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 65-70optionally include means for performing pattern matching andcommunication with a computing device that is communicatively coupled tothe apparatus, wherein the condition to control the audio to be outputis determined at least in part by pattern matching performed on thesensor data; and means for communicating an event to a device driver ofthe computing device communicatively coupled to the apparatus, to causecontrol of the audio that is provided from the computing device to theapparatus using the device driver.

In Example 72, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 65-71optionally include means for communicating an event to a computingdevice to cause control of a media player software application, whereinthe audio to be output originates from the media player softwareapplication executing on the computing device connected to theapparatus.

Example 73 is an apparatus, comprising: means for receiving sensor datacollected from an integrated sensor of a headset audio device; means fordetecting a condition for control of the headset audio device from thesensor data; means for identifying a control action in a softwareapplication based on the detected condition, wherein the softwareapplication generates an output of audio to the headset audio device;and means for controlling the output of audio with the softwareapplication based on the identified control action.

In Example 74, the subject matter of Example 73 optionally includesmeans for wirelessly communicating with the headset audio device via awireless connection, wherein the output of audio to the headset audiodevice is provided over the wireless connection; and wherein thewireless connection is established according to a RF, Bluetooth, or IEEE802.11 communication standard.

In Example 75, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 73-74optionally include means for communicating with the headset audio devicevia a wired connection, wherein the wired connection is establishedaccording to a USB standard.

In Example 76, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 73-75optionally include means for performing event processing of an eventreceived from the headset audio device.

In Example 77, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 73-76optionally include means for processing gesture data indicated in thesensor data, the gesture data obtained from a capacitive sensor of theheadset audio device; and means for performing the control action basedon the processing of the gesture data.

In Example 78, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 73-77optionally include means for processing additional sensor data collectedfrom a wearable device, wherein control of the headset audio device isfurther performed based on the additional sensor data.

In Example 79, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 73-78optionally include means for outputting audio and means for recordingaudio; wherein the control action for the software application includesa first control action to control the audio to be output and a secondcontrol action to control the audio to be recorded.

In Example 80, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 73-79optionally include means for detecting a gesture made by a human user inproximity to the apparatus, wherein the gesture correlates to an audiocontrol operation used to control the output of audio with the softwareapplication.

In the above Detailed Description, various features may be groupedtogether to streamline the disclosure. However, the claims may not setforth every feature disclosed herein as embodiments may feature a subsetof said features. Further, embodiments may include fewer features thanthose disclosed in a particular example. Thus, the following claims arehereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with a claim standingon its own as a separate embodiment.

1. (canceled)
 2. A headset, comprising: an accelerometer; an additionalsensor; a speaker; and processing circuitry to perform operations to:receive accelerometer data from the accelerometer; receive sensor datafrom the additional sensor; and control audio output at the speakerbased on the accelerometer data and the sensor data.
 3. The headset ofclaim 2, wherein the additional sensor comprises a proximity sensor,wherein to control audio output at the speaker based on theaccelerometer data and the sensor data, the processing circuitry is topause audio output at the speaker in response to determining that theheadset has been removed from a head of a user based on theaccelerometer data and the sensor data.
 4. The headset of claim 2,wherein the additional sensor comprises a temperature sensorincorporated into the wearable apparatus, wherein to control audiooutput at the speaker based on the accelerometer data and the sensordata, the processing circuitry is to pause audio output at the speakerin response to determining that the headset has been removed from a headof a user based on the accelerometer data and the sensor data.
 5. Theheadset of claim 2, wherein to control audio output at the speaker basedon the accelerometer data and the sensor data, the processing circuitryis to transmit a command to a device separate from the headset, thedevice to alter audio.
 6. The headset of claim 5, wherein the audio tooutput at the speaker is generated by the device; and wherein the deviceimplements operations to control playback of the audio from anaudiovisual software program executing on the device.
 7. The headset ofclaim 6, further comprising: a wireless transceiver; wherein to controlaudio output at the speaker based on the accelerometer data and thesensor data, the processing circuitry is to transmit commands to thedevice via a communication sent to the device with the wirelesstransceiver.
 8. At least one device readable storage medium, comprisinga plurality of instructions that, responsive to being executed withcircuitry of a headset device, cause the headset device to performoperations that: receive accelerometer data from an accelerometerincorporated into the headset; receive sensor data from an additionalsensor incorporated into the headset; and control audio output at aspeaker of the headset based on the accelerometer data and the sensordata.
 9. The device readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein theadditional sensor comprises a proximity sensor, wherein to control audiooutput at the speaker based on the accelerometer data and the sensordata, the instructions cause the circuitry to pause audio output at thespeaker in response to determining that the headset has been removedfrom a head of a user based on the accelerometer data and the sensordata.
 10. The device readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein theadditional sensor comprises a temperature sensor incorporated into thewearable apparatus, wherein to control audio output at the speaker basedon the accelerometer data and the sensor data, the instructions causethe circuitry to pause audio output at the speaker in response todetermining that the headset has been removed from a head of a userbased on the accelerometer data and the sensor data.
 11. The devicereadable storage medium of claim 8, wherein to control audio output atthe speaker based on the accelerometer data and the sensor data, theinstructions cause the circuitry to transmit a command to a deviceseparate from the headset, the device to alter audio.
 12. The devicereadable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the audio to output at thespeaker is generated by the device; and wherein the device implementsoperations to control playback of the audio from an audiovisual softwareprogram executing on the device.
 13. The device readable storage mediumof claim 12, wherein to control audio output at the speaker based on theaccelerometer data and the sensor data, the instructions cause thecircuitry to to transmit commands to the device via a communication sentto the device with a wireless transceiver.
 14. A method for controllinga headset, wherein the headset includes an accelerometer, an additionalsensor, a speaker, and processing circuitry, the method comprising:receiving accelerometer data from the accelerometer; receiving sensordata from the additional sensor; and controlling audio output at thespeaker based on the accelerometer data and the sensor data.
 15. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the additional sensor comprises a proximitysensor, wherein controlling audio output at the speaker based on theaccelerometer data and the sensor data comprises pausing audio output atthe speaker in response to determining that the headset has been removedfrom a head of a user based on the accelerometer data and the sensordata.
 16. The headset of claim 14, wherein the additional sensorcomprises a temperature sensor incorporated into the wearable apparatus,wherein controlling audio output at the speaker based on theaccelerometer data and the sensor data comprises pausing audio output atthe speaker in response to determining that the headset has been removedfrom a head of a user based on the accelerometer data and the sensordata.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein controlling audio output atthe speaker based on the accelerometer data and the sensor datacomprises transmitting a command to a device separate from the headset,the device to alter audio.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the audioto output at the speaker is generated by the device; and wherein thedevice implements operations to control playback of the audio from anaudiovisual software program executing on the device.
 19. The method ofclaim 18, wherein controlling audio output at the speaker based on theaccelerometer data and the sensor data comprises transmitting commandsto the device via a communication sent to the device with a wirelesstransceiver.